What's it about?

The Priority Matrix is a classic time management and powerful productivity tool that helps avoid overspending valuable time on non-important tasks. It displays four quadrants to determine the tasks you need to do and to decide what should or should not be made a priority. Judging whether activities are urgent, important, both or neither, is a “must-have” skill and the focus of the Priority Matrix.

Who should use it

The Priority Matrix is a great method to adopt if you are interested in productivity and action management. Must-have for anyone who needs to get things done in a stress-free manner.

Who made it?

Dwight D. Eisenhower

The Priority Matrix as a time management and productivity enhancement technique was effectively used by the President during his tenure in office. He had noted often that “what is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.” Therefore, the Matrix or the "Decision Box" was created to distinguish between urgent task requiring immediate attention that put decision makers in a reactive mode, marked by a defensive, negative, hurried, and narrowly-focused mindset, versus the important tasks that contribute to long-term mission, values, and goals. Where important tasks were also urgent, the Matrix helped focus on important activities with a responsive mindset, enabling calm, rational, and inclusive decisions or prompted to new opportunities.